All eyes are on Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 1 and the most popular player in all of men’s tennis, as he spends his weekend in San Francisco trying once again to lead Team Europe to victory in the Laver Cup.
He’s the main attraction at this eighth annual event — which runs Friday-Sunday at Chase Center — just like he is at pretty much every tournament that he plays in at any location around the globe.
Most consider him the new face of men’s tennis, a 22-year-old Spanish superstar who, amazingly, already has a half-dozen Grand Slam victories under his belt.
Yet, being the global ambassador for an entire sport is a lot of weight to put on a young player’s shoulders. Well, at least it would be if Alcaraz allowed himself to be concerned with such titles.
“I don’t think about being the best ambassador or have the pressure to do it,” Alcaraz said during a Laver Cup press conference on Thursday. “I think we all – tennis players, in general – are ambassadors of tennis to just do great tennis.”
It’s all about the sport for Alcaraz – just like it is in seemingly every point that he plays. And that unbridled enthusiasm and love for the game of tennis is arguably the No. 1 reason why he’s been able to win over legions of fans in a relatively short amount of time.
“I try my best in every match,” Alcaraz says. “I love playing tennis. I love playing great points, great shots. And I try to show that in the match. It’s not something that I do it because I have to engage the people. I just do it because I love doing those things.”
Carlos Alcaraz of Team Europe reacts during a practice session prior to the start of the Laver Cup 2025 at Chase Center on Sept. 17, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
Alcaraz is the biggest name on the incredibly deep Team Europe, which also boasts world No. 3 Alexander Zverev (Germany), No. 11 Holger Rune (Denmark), No. 12 Casper Rudd (Norway), No. 17 Jakub Mensik (Czechoslovakia) and No. 25 Flavio Cobolli (Italy). The six-member squad is led by captain Yannick Noah (France), who won the French Open in 1983, and vice captain Tim Henman, who was the British No. 1 player in 1996 and 1999-2005.
Alcaraz and Mensik will square off against against a pair of Americans — Taylor Fritz and Michelsen, representing Team World — in a doubles match on Friday night at Chase.
Besides world No. 5 Fritz and No. 32 Michelsen, the Team World roster also includes No. 8 Alex de Minaur (Australia), No. 21 Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina), No. 42 João Fonseca (Brazil) and No. 60 Reilly Opelka (U.S.A.).
Pat Rafter, who is assisting tennis legend and former Bay Area resident Andre Agassi in captaining Team World, certainly knows his squad is facing quite a challenge in trying to stop Alcaraz.
“Alcaraz is a weapon. He’s someone who is at the top of his game right now,” say Rafter, a two-time U.S. Open champ. “The guy has serious power. He’s a great athlete.”
Although Team Europe has Alcarez – and, generally speaking, a higher-ranked group of players – Team World also has an ace up its sleeve:
The home crowd.
“I definitely think there’s home court advantage in the Laver Cup,” says Zverev, reflecting on Team Europe’s come-from-behind win at the 2024 Laver Cup. “We felt it extremely last year when we played in Berlin. We were down all the way until basically the last match. The crowd really pushed us through some of those matches.
“I really think now, after eight years, the Laver Cup is something that the crowd really enjoys and they cheer not only for their favorite player but they also cheer for where they are from.”
Zverev expects the Chase Center crowd to be fully behind Team World. But that’s nothing new for these players, Zverev adds. They are used to dealing with regional crowd biases at tour stops around the globe – “expect if you are called Carlos Alcaraz.”
“When (Alcaraz) plays, he’s the fan favorite,” says Zverez, noting the Spaniard’s massive global popularity.
Alcaraz comes into San Francisco on a massive roll, having just captured the U.S. Open crown – and recapturing the No. 1 ranking – from chief rival Jannik Sinner, who had just defeated Alcaraz at Wimbledon in July.
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Alcaraz also won the 2025 French Open, coming back from two sets down to triumph over Sinner in what many are calling one of the greatest matches ever played.
“I think it was a tennis match that, in many ways, we’ve never seen before — just from the speed, just the way tennis has been played.,” Zverev says of this year’s French Open Final. “Those two guys – Carlos and Jannik – right now, they are ahead of everybody else. And it’s our job to catch up and be on that level and try to compete with them.
“This year, nobody could do it. Hopefully – in my perspective – we will be able to do it more next year.”